NBC AND ROGER MUDD SAID TO AGREE ON SPLIT

By PETER J. BOYER

Published: January 29, 1987

NBC News and Roger Mudd have reached an agreement to terminate the veteran correspondent's services, according to sources at the network.

The network has been negotiating for several weeks with Mr. Mudd's agent, Ralph Mann, in an effort to reach a settlement on the remainder of Mr. Mudd's contract, which guarantees more than $1 million annually until its expiration in 1990.

Mr. Mudd's imminent departure has been expected at the network since December. The correspondent had been involved in bitter exchanges with management over the cancellation of ''1986,'' the news magazine program of which Mr. Mudd was co-host with Connie Chung.

The program, which had a difficult time at NBC, was conceived in 1985 as Mr. Mudd's vehicle - a relaxed weekly sketch of Americana called ''American Almanac.'' Because NBC was performing so well in prime time and could afford to maintain the broadcast through a period of low ratings, its staff felt secure about the program's chances. Grant Tinker, the former NBC chairman under whose aegis the program had been developed, vowed that it would stay on the air ''forever.'' A Year of False Starts

But the program fared poorly in the ratings, and the entertainment division of NBC, in a fierce battle for first place in the ratings, was reluctant to give ''Almanac'' a permanent place on the schedule. After a year of false starts, the program was completely revamped, Miss Chung was added as co-anchor, and it went on the air last summer as ''1986.''

The program still fared poorly in the ratings, and last month, NBC canceled it.

Lawrence K. Grossman, the president of NBC News, said the cancellation of the program would allow NBC to use its resources better, and he announced plans to broadcast 15 hours of prime-time documentaries in the place of ''1986.''

Mr. Mudd reacted angrily to the cancellation, likening it to ''killing a newspaper'' and saying that NBC had yielded to ''the pressure for profits'' in making the decision. That angered Mr. Grossman, who accused Mr. Mudd of being emotional and acting silly.

Ironically, it was an act of choler that brought Mr. Mudd to NBC seven years ago. After having been Walter Cronkite's regular replacement and presumed successor on the ''CBS Evening News,'' Mr. Mudd reportedly was so upset when CBS named Dan Rather to the position that he cleaned his desk and did not return to work during the remaining eight months of his contract. He released a statement, regarded at the time as a criticism of Mr. Rather, saying ''I've regarded myself as a news reporter and not as a newsmaker or celebrity.'' Promised an Anchor Post

William Small, then the president of NBC, brought Mr. Mudd to that network with the promise of an anchor position on the ''NBC Nightly News.''

When in 1981 NBC feared that it would lose Tom Brokaw to ABC, Mr. Mudd agreed to share the anchor desk with his colleague as part of the bargain to keep Mr. Brokaw at NBC. However, when ratings faltered, Mr. Mudd was soon released from his anchor position and Mr. Brokaw became sole anchor.

Mr. Mudd, known for his dry, straightforward reporting and for his piercing interview style, was the chief political correspondent for NBC during the 1984 elections, a job in which Mr. Mudd, who has been based in Washington for most of his career, has said he feels most comfortable.

Asked why he was not being retained until after the 1988 election year, Mr. Mudd said in an interview several weeks ago, ''That's not a question that I should answer, or could answer,'' apparently suggesting that his departure was instigated by NBC. NBC executives declined comment when asked the same question.

Mr. Mudd is expected to explore the possibility of making documentaries and other programs for public television.